Steve McQueen

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He was one of the all-time greats of Hollywood and gave a new face to the Western genre: Steve McQueen. His cool demeanour was his label and made him an idol for young actors and fans worldwide. His first film appearance was in Somebody Up There Likes Me in 1956. His fame was made with The Magnificent Seven. One of his most famous movies was Getaway where he starred besides Ali McGraw. His yearly average income these days is estimated at $6 million.

Marilyn Monroe

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Her name stands in for the word sexy: Marilyn Monroe. Her first film appearance was in Dangerous Years in 1947. Her fame was made with Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. One of her most famous movies was Some Like It Hot. Privately she was unhappy and lover to a President and his brother. As a singer she was just plain awful. Her yearly income these days is estimated at $6.5 million.

Andy Warhol

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His name is synonymous for pop art: Andy Warhol. His colourful screen prints of celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, or Audrey Hepburn are known to everybody. Actually he was very talented as painter, photographer, and videographer, but these expressions of his art are widely ignored. He is estimated to earn $9 million a year.

John Lennon

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His name is a legend in itself: John Lennon. He is one of the members of the unforgettable Beatles, husband to the aristocratic and eccentric Yoko Ono, a fighter for peace. After the split of the Beatles, he became successful as a singer and songwriter in his own right. Just imagine he is still earning $9 million every year.

Dr. Seuss

His most famous figure is the Grinch: Dr. Seuss. His children's book The Cat in The Hat is still a favourite in the United States. His many books and comics are still selling. Estimated income from his writing and drawing is at $12 million a year.

Aaron Spelling

One of the most famous producers ever was Aaron Spelling. His series are cult. Whatever he took a hand to was made to money. Starsky and Hutch was a big hit even in German, after all the fun had been translated out of it. And of Charlie's Angels we must face further spinoffs, I think. His income a year is estimated at $12 million.

Albert Einstein

His name is used instead of the word genius: Albert Einstein. His physical theories changed the way we look at the world today. He was not only one of the most brilliant scientists of all time, but also one of the best earning ones as well. Put in relation to the income of the top earner of this list, it's relatively small, but his income these days is $18 million a year.

Heath Ledger

Brokeback Mountain put his name on the map: Heath Ledger. Coming to the screen in some rather quirky films, he made it big with Brokeback Mountain. He was nominated for an Oscar for the role of a gay cowboy in that movie. His last role as Joker in Batman - The Dark Knight made a legend of him. His income this year is estimated at $20 million.

Charles M. Schulz

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Peanuts are money, too: Charles M. Schulz. His Peanuts conquered the world and have enriched children for it. They also generate a yearly income of $33 million.

Elvis

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The King: Elvis. Even though he lives, he tops this list with ease. Even his awful films are still being shown. His acting potential was on a par with Marilyn Monroe's voice power. His estimated income is at $52 million a year.

While it is admittedly a very scary movie, the lasting effects of this movie are, I believe worse.  First off every time you turn a corner you will expect to see this pair of twins staring blankly at you and asking you to play with them forever and ever.

Also every time you see a door ajar you will think of the horrible happenings in room 237 and you will never look at someone handling an axe the same way again.

Silence Of The Lambs

This movie, more of a thriller than a horror will certainly give you problems falling asleep for the next month.  By far the biggest reason would be Buffalo Bill and his evil doings, something that will make you uncomfortable while alone.  But also the atrocious Hannibal Lector will send a chill down your spine, especially finding out how he manages to escape his prison (nobody say I spoiled the movie, as soon as you hear him talk you will know without a doubt he is going to escape- he's to smart not to).

Dead Silence

Not just another dummy movie, this has a noticably bigger storyline to it, not just a dummy hacking away at people.  Every time you enter a room for the next few weeks after seeing this you will expect to see a dummy standing over a toungless corpse as if proud of his work.  Also, if you ever see someone in a wheelchair with someone standing next to them you will want to manuever yourself around the room to check his back.  It does have the air of a tired remake with a different title but once you start watching you will be convinced otherwise. 

One Missed Call

Admittedly not the most creative plotline this movie does have quite a surprising twist at the end that will certainly shock you.  In an attempt to not give the ending away but prove it's relevance to this article all I can say is you will never look at little girls the same way again.  It's characters are just stupid enough to have you yelling at the TV but not stupid enough to be unrealistic, making you wonder if you would do the same.

 

“Diary” starts off with a group of student film makers out in the woods, doing a horror film project about a mummy (can you see the irony right there?) when they start hearing reports about zombie attacks. At first skeptical, the students soon find out the hard way that the reports are very real, as they encounter zombies everywhere they go in their attempts to find a safe place to wait things out. And through it all, main character Jason (Joshua Close) continues to film events as they happen, much to the irritation of his friends, wanting to get the truth out there for all to see.

As mentioned, “Diary of the Dead” still follows the standard “zombie apocalypse” formula, right down to the “shoot-em-in-the-head” method of taking down the zombies. Thankfully, though, it isn't a completely cookie-cutter product, as there are a couple of things that make it stand out. Obviously, there's the documentary-style the movie was shot in, done from the single-camera POV of the main character. Just like the recent “Cloverfield”, we have a main character who just films everything as it happens, right down to the zombie attacks, unable and unwilling to stop, even as his friends and fellow survivors rip on him about it. One of the main differences here is that the film isn't restricted to just one camera viewpoint, as they later get another camera to use and other camera footage that is later incorporated into the “completed” version of the documentary. The movie also plays out like a standard documentary, complete with narration and music, provided by Jason's girlfriend Debra (Michelle Morgan), rather than looking like a home movie shot on a whim. This helps the film in a great way, adding to the suspense and allowing viewers to see a lot more of what's going on.

Another great twist to the genre that I'm sure a lot of fans will find refreshing is that the characters aren't simply isolated in one spot like they would be in other zombie flicks. Instead, they spend most of the movie traveling around in a Winnebago, going from place to place, encountering other survivors and, of course, zombies at every turn. This especially works in favor of the movie, as we get to see beyond the main group and get examples of how other survivors are trying to survive the disaster, whether it be the group of militants “doing what they have to” or the group of soldiers who steal for what seems to be the heck of it. It kind of turns the movie into a “road trip” flick, but it still helps in a great way and not make it all seem so “standard”.

The movie has the standard ensemble cast of characters you'd expect in a horror flick, but with a few twists, such as the resident blonde, Tracy (Amy Ciupak Lalonde), being not a complete airhead and showing actual some skills and intelligence (check out her rip on women stereotypes in horror movies at the beginning). But probably the most important character of the film is the technology and digital media that has pretty much become the center of our world today. Not only is it the reason for Romero's reboot of his “Dead” franchise (he obviously couldn't continue from his last flick and tell a story like this, hence the necessity), but it's also the focus of the social commentary that he puts into his movies. The director shows how much things like the internet, cell phones, television and whatnot have become such a part of our lives that we're practically dependent on them, even in the midst of a worldwide apocalypse. On the plus side, it allows Jason and his friends to keep tabs on events happening around the world, as other people are uploading their own videos of zombie attacks online. But of course, the same media can also be used against us, as proven in an attempt by authorities to cover up the zombie attacks using edited news footage (we all know that lasted about five seconds). “Diary” truly exposes that double-edged sword to light, showcasing Romero's talents as a storyteller.

The movie truly has some suspenseful moments throughout the picture, mainly centered around whenever the group makes a stop somewhere and you don't know what they'll run into, zombies or other, more hard-edged survivors. Some things even happen off camera, due to the style of the storytelling (and Jason's inability to leave his camera behind), but things can still be heard and make you wonder just what is going on, much like in an old-school horror film where things were often suggested and viewers had to use their imaginations. This was purposely done on Romero's part, as he went back to his independent roots for this film, even making it for only a couple million dollars. You'd hardly know it from the visual effects, which are done rather well, probably even better than most big-budget films. Naturally, there are some blood and gore moments like in any zombie film, but those are kept to a minimum and used only when needed, as opposed to other recent horror films, working greatly in this movie's favor.

The DVD certainly has its share of bonus material, so you won't be lacking in that department. Most of it is the standard “behind-the-scenes” stuff; “For the Record: The Making of "Diary of the Dead"” is a five-part look into the different aspects of the making of the movie, such as the cast, the make-up and visual effects, set design, even a little piece on the director himself. “The First Week” is pretty self-explanatory, a short look into the film's first week of shooting, while “The Roots” is a short interview with Romero about his returning to his independent roots for the film. And, of course, there's the standard commentary that can be played with the film.

But there are also some interesting goodies in the bonus material that I'm sure a lot will enjoy. “Character Confessionals” is the closest we have to deleted scenes, basically a series of little confessionals made by the characters as the apocalypse progresses and showing their reactions to it all. “Familiar Voices” looks into the recording process of background voices for the film made by well-known horror luminaries, revealing three of them (they make you guess the rest on your own). I won't reveal who they are, either, as it's more fun to first watch the movie then see this feature and get the surprise of your life. And of course, the best feature is the “MySpace Contest Winners” feature, showing the five short films that won the grand and first prizes in the contest Romero put on MySpace to promote the movie. I won't reveal who the winners are, but each movie is enjoyable in their own right, whether freaky or just a bit silly.

I'll have to admit it, “Diary of the Dead” is certainly one of the most creative zombie flicks that I've seen, and definitely one of the better horror films out right now. Die-hard fans are sure to add it to their collections, while others will certainly be willing to give it a look. A truly excellent film that will rank as one of Romero's best.

Released by: Dimension Films

Starring: Joshua Close (Jason Creed), Michelle Morgan (Debra), Shawn Roberts (Tony), Joe Dinicol (Eliot), Scott Wentworth (Andrew Maxwell)

Directed by: George A. Romero

Rating: R

Score: 8 out of 10